A thing rarely seen

"duurtlang" (duurtlang) 06/21/2016 at 14:08 • Filed to: None

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A Citroën XM Chrysler 300M, Jeep Cherokee and a Rover 45. Side by side, on top of other cars. In a junk yard.

They’re probably located in the ‘other’ section of that junk yard, as I’m not seeing anything from a popular car country (Germany, France, Japan, Italy, Korea). I would expect a Sweden corner though.

The XM up front is located in the adjecent French-only junk yard.

And now for something entirely diffferent (I needed a picture host):

Dru > duurtlang 06/21/2016 at 14:12

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Where on earth was this taken?

For Sweden > duurtlang 06/21/2016 at 14:12

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That Jeep isn’t classy enough to be in the same junkyard as French cars.

S65 > duurtlang 06/21/2016 at 14:13

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The junkyard is where That 300M belongs

duurtlang > Dru 06/21/2016 at 14:13

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In a junkyard in the Netherlands, this afternoon. Here , approximately.

duurtlang > For Sweden 06/21/2016 at 14:15

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But it’s got classy Euro-spec tail lights with amber indicators!

I know for a fact that junk yard has a large French corner as well, it’s on the other side of their lot.

Klaus Schmoll > duurtlang 06/21/2016 at 14:18

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Hunting for a 306 battery tray/bracket?

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > For Sweden 06/21/2016 at 14:19

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AMC 4.0 is laughing at you.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > duurtlang 06/21/2016 at 14:20

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Did they sell the 300M there? Why would someone import that piece of shit?

duurtlang > Klaus Schmoll 06/21/2016 at 14:20

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Exactly! I found exactly what I needed. Installed it already.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 06/21/2016 at 14:28

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Chrysler sold them officially in Europe. They even built Grand Cherokees, Grand Voyagers and briefly the PT Cruiser in Austria. With diesel engines of course. I still see a fair share of Voyagers. Out neighbors own their third Voyager, all of them had a m/t and turbodiesel.

E90M3 > duurtlang 06/21/2016 at 14:30

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I’d love to go to a self service junkyard in Europe at some point, see some of the cars we never got here in the US.

duurtlang > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 06/21/2016 at 14:31

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No, they were officially sold here. In very, very tiny numbers. It peaked at 0.04% market share in its best year.

Unlike Ford and GM, Chrysler never had a dedicated Euro branch in the last 3+ decades. So they tried to peddle the stuff they designed for the US market. It never really worked, excluding the minivan (named Voyager here) until ~2007 and the first few years of the PT Loser. Chrysler as a brand never surpassed a market share of 1% and usually hovered around 0.5%. Chrysler/Dodge is gone now though, first rebadged as Lancia and now totally gone.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem 06/21/2016 at 14:31

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Ever see a Lancia Grand Voyager?

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > duurtlang 06/21/2016 at 14:32

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I think that that’s too much of a market share for them to have in any country, but I’ve always been a NOPAR guy myself.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 06/21/2016 at 14:35

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Yup. Once. At the local Fiat dealership, but other than that, nope. Selling Chryslers and Dodges as Lancias was a big fat nail in the coffin of Lancia imo.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > duurtlang 06/21/2016 at 14:36

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Jeep is still here and doing quite OK. But only barely.

duurtlang > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem 06/21/2016 at 14:38

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As is Fiat.

Ash78, voting early and often > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 06/21/2016 at 14:39

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Yep, they even sold the wagon over there (basically a Dodge Magnum with a 300 front end and interior). It was actually...pretty cool. But Chrysler never gave Europe much effort.

Cé hé sin > duurtlang 06/21/2016 at 14:44

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Funny thing about scrapyards: many of the cars there seem to be in at least as good a condition as mine. I think people just get the idea that a car more than about 15 years old has to go regardless.

duurtlang > Cé hé sin 06/21/2016 at 14:54

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True, although I have the impression that’s a sentiment that’s stronger
in RHD euro markets. I do get it though, look at my carbagerun Mitsubishi Galant for example. Had I not bought it it would’ve ended up in a junkyard within a year I bet. In the few months and maybe 10k km it needed a new exhaust (mid and rear), 2 tires, 4 brake discs + pads and some suspension parts. That alone would’ve been enough to total it (I bought it for €500, with not yet leaking exhaust). Add in the full service, the rear shocks (which didn’t leak but were worn ) and the belts (4!) and I poured almost 3 times more money into that car than what I bought it for. Had this work been done by a shop the leaking exhaust alone would’ve economically totalled the car.

Having said that, I do find it morally cringe worthy how wasteful we are as a society. This Galant is now ready for multiple years of trouble free motoring, it only needed a bit of love.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > duurtlang 06/21/2016 at 14:54

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The new Tipo is a glimpse of hope.

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > duurtlang 06/21/2016 at 14:58

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Are there still that many junkyards left in Groningen, or is it just a coincidence that there are 3 next to each other? Here in Brabant most junkyards have turned away from the hoarding of cars towards dismantling them, and stocking the useful parts in warehouses.

Cé hé sin > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 06/21/2016 at 15:06

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I’ve seen a Fiat Freemont. Does that count?

duurtlang > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer 06/21/2016 at 15:06

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The one I visited, Franse Auto, does both: They have a big parts warehouse (see that building? They’ve since built more) and a lot with junkers. You go to a desk, ask for the part you need and they’ll only let you visit the cars when they don’t have the part stocked.

Within Groningen these are the only 3 I know. Right next to Groningen there are two more. One a huge disorganized one and another one much more professional with more recent (21st century) usually crashed cars. The latter even keeps track of which cars they have on a website . I know of an old school Peugeot-only yard in Assen which can get you everything, which is nice.

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > duurtlang 06/21/2016 at 15:20

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Ah, I see, I think there might be one of those disorganized ones around here somewhere too, though the largest two within 20 km of me, are either changing to a warehouse concept or have already changed years ago. The one that is changing to a warehouse is already working on that for the past 10 years, probably to please the municipality, however they are those real junkyard kind of people, so I guess it might take them a ‘while’.

Klaus Schmoll > duurtlang 06/21/2016 at 15:53

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Pulled it yourself? How much?

I once resurrected a MK2 Golf with a buddy. We got a front fender from the junkyard. Some on the bolts on the a-pillar are covered with body sealant so we knew that something was still holding it on but it took us a while to figure out what. When we paid they said that they had never seen somebody take this long to pull a MK2 fender.

duurtlang > Klaus Schmoll 06/21/2016 at 16:23

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€5

I pulled it from another 306 that already had its engine removed. That meant the computer was already gone as well, which made it even quicker. Replacing it in my car took some time, but wasn’t too hard.

I forgot to take an after or during picture, but this was before , with the old battery housing thing still in place. The computer housing (top, with a lid) is part of the battery tray. You can clearly see where the mounting points have been ripped off. Looking at this picture it seems the battery isn’t the newest of the lot.

505 - morphine not found > duurtlang 06/21/2016 at 17:06

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That is exactly the reason (and maths) I use to tell people they don’t need to change their car. I bet the previous owner of your Gallant spent more than $1500 buying, and sorting out their next car, so keeping the old girl working would have been more economical, despite looking like the opposite. And even if we count on them being wrench-averse and getting a shop involved spending $3.000, my bet still stands, because wrench-averse people don’t buy cheap cars they have to fix first.

Then again, even I would like to change rides every two years, so the sentiment behind it is understandable. Just don’t try to cover it up as being economical.

duurtlang > 505 - morphine not found 06/21/2016 at 17:12

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Actually, the previous owner bought it for €500 (without a valid inspection), drove it for a year while doing as little as possible, and then sold it to me for €500 (and 1 month of his new inspection left). It did look like it had been well cared for until 2013 or so.

That type of owner is the typical death of cars. Doing as little as you can will drive a car right into the ground. As opposed to my dad, who on average spent €800 a year on maintenance for his Suzuki Alto. Had I liked Altos in any way I would’ve kept that car myself.

505 - morphine not found > duurtlang 06/21/2016 at 17:29

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Oh yeah, I forgot there’s that type too. And believe me they are far more common around my parts, where fewer people have free cash to spend on their cars. I just excluded them from this math, because, as you so well put it - they are the death of cars. Lucky you could get this Gallant going on relatively little, after such an owner!